Katharine Cornell (February 16, 1893 – June 9, 1974) was an American stage actress, writer, theater owner and producer. She was born in Berlin to American parents and raised in Buffalo, New York.
Dubbed "The First Lady of the Theatre" by critic Alexander Woollcott, Cornell was the first performer to receive the Drama League Award, for Romeo and Juliet in 1935. Cornell is noted for her major Broadway roles in serious dramas, often directed by her husband, Guthrie McClintic. The couple formed C. & M.C. Productions, Inc., a company that gave them complete artistic freedom in choosing and producing plays. Their production company gave first or prominent Broadway roles to some of the more notable actors of the 20th century, including many British Shakespearean actors.
Cornell is regarded as one of the great actresses of the American theatre. Her most famous role was that of English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning in the 1931 Broadway production of The Barretts of Wimpole Street. Other appearances on Broadway included in W. Somerset Maugham's The Letter (1927), Sidney Howard's The Alien Corn (1933), Juliet in Romeo and Juliet (1934), Maxwell Anderson's The Wingless Victory (1936), S. N. Behrman's No Time for Comedy (1939), a Tony Award-winning Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra (1947), and a revival of Maugham's The Constant Wife (1951).Cornell was noted for spurning screen roles, unlike other actresses of her day. She appeared in only one Hollywood film, the World War II morale booster Stage Door Canteen, in which she played herself. She did appear in television adaptations of The Barretts of Wimpole Street and Robert E. Sherwood's There Shall Be No Night. She also narrated the documentary Helen Keller in Her Story, which won an Oscar.
Primarily regarded as a tragedienne, Cornell was admired for her refined, romantic presence. One reviewer observed, "Hers is not a robust romanticism, however. It tends toward dark but delicate tints, and the emotion she conveys most aptly is that of an aspiring girlishness which has always been subject to theatrical influences of a special sort." Her appearances in comedy were infrequent, and praised more widely for their warmth than their wit. When she played in The Constant Wife, critic Brooks Atkinson concluded that she had changed a "hard and metallic" comedy into a romantic drama.Cornell died on June 9, 1974, in Tisbury, Massachusetts (on Martha's Vineyard), aged 81, and is buried at Tisbury Village Cemetery, Tisbury, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.
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Some of their strengths
Katharine Cornell has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Innovative, Energetic, Independent, Analytical, Easygoing, Strong, and Courageous.
Idealistic and Altruistic
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Katharine Cornell is someone who is an idealist and an altruist who possesses an innovative, intellectual, and analytical mind, and who approaches life in an optimistic and easygoing manner. A person who is ambitious and motivated.
Strong and Resilient
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Katharine Cornell well know them as someone who can be strong, expansive, and stable like a big tree.
Active and Ambitious
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Katharine Cornell as someone who is active, ambitious, bold, and courageous.
A person who is driven and organized, is wise with money, who knows how to tell a good story, likes physical activity, and who loves learning.
Easygoing and Energetic
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Katharine Cornell is someone who has an easygoing nature and a healthy sense of humor, with a mind that requires constant stimulation in order to feel fulfilled.
They are also someone who is active, giving, optimistic, and cheerful, and who possesses a charisma that attracts friends and admirers.
Altruistic and Innovative
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Katharine Cornell tends to be someone who sacrifices things for the good of others and wants to do "good" in the world. Who is often thought of as an innovator or rebel who thrives when trying to chase a breakthrough of some sort, who has a clear and sound mind, and who can be charming and sociable.
Some of Katharine Cornell's challenges
While Katharine Cornell has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, Katharine Cornell can be Rebellious, Emotionally Distant, Stubborn, Idle, Impulsive, Aggressive, and Demanding.
Rebellious and Emotionally Distant
One of Katharine Cornell's key challenges is that they are someone who can be rebellious and emotionally distant.
Impulsive and Aggressive
Katharine Cornell is someone who can be impulsive, aggressive, and confrontational, can have difficulty listening to others, be moody and high strung, have conflict with authority figures, be too judgmental of others, and who can be overindulgent and extravagant.
Serious and Callous
Finally, Katharine Cornell also can be too giving, come across as too "high and mighty", and can have a hard time expressing feelings.
